Intravenous stand attachment for wheel stretchers



May 17, 1949. E. R. SCUDDER INTRAVENOUS STAND ATTACHMENT FdR WHEEL STRETCHERS Filed July 13, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR [Mar/2 Gar/005p BY W M ATTORNEYS May 17, 1949. E. R. SCUDDER INTRAVENOUS STAND ATTACHMENT FOR WHEEL STRETCHERS Filed July 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO R fuor/Z Saunas/e Ws M ATTORNEYS Patented May 17, 1949 INTRAVENOUS STAND ATTACHMENT FOR WHEEL STRETCHERS Eliot R. Scudder, Palmer, Mass., assignor to Jarvis & Jarvis, Inc., Palmer, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 13, 1946, Serial No. 683,574

1 Claim.

This invention has for its object the provision of an intravenous stand which may become in effect an integral part of a wheel stretcher so as to be maintained in fixed relation thereto in any movement of a stretcher-borne patient.

In hospital work it frequently happens that a patient, while being given an intravenous injection, blood plasma, saline solution, etc., has to be moved from one place to another by wheel stretcher. With the equipment at present available, this requires one hospital attendant to push and guide the stretcher on which the patient is borne and another attendant for carrying one or more jars of intravenous fluid suspended in just the right position above the patient so as not to interrupt the continuity of the injection. Great care must be exercised in thus carrying aloft the jar or jars of intravenous fluid during travel of the patient and oftentimes this is a Very diificult operation. With my improved equipment, a stretcher-borne patient may be moved on a wheel stretcher by a single attendant without any dan ger of interrupting the intravenous injection which may be taking place. This is accomplished by providing a specially constructed intravenous stand as a fixed part of the stretcher equipment and in such correlation therewith as to be protected against accidental displacement or disturbance during any moving about of the wheel stretcher.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and claims in connection with my drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a wheel supported stretcher showing in combination therewith one form of my intravenous stand;

Fig. 2 is a view in plan of the stand as detached from the stretcher;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the stand with the upper part of the stem thereof broken away;

Fig. 4 is a plan of a modified form of stand shown in correlation with the same form of stretcher as shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is an end view of the stand shown in Fig. 4 lookin in the direction of the arrow B.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the stretcher comprises a lower chassis with longitudinal, parallel and spaced apart side bars or frame members I and 2 connected by transverse members 3 and 4, the latter being connected by a longitudinal member 5. The usual swivel wheel casters 6, l, 8 and 9 are mounted at the four corner posts of said chassis and carry therein respectively the wheels H), II, [2 and I3. Supported on the chassis is the upper bed frame comprising a continuous rectangular rail 14 fastened by brackets l6 and l6a to the longitudinal bars I and 2 and said chassis, all in the usual manner for such stretchers. The rail I4 of the bed frame is preferably provided throughout its length with a rubber or similar resilient rim [5 which acts as a cushion for the stretcher when bumped against walls or other obstructions. It will also be understood that the bed frame rail M with its cushion rim i5 is Wider and longer than the chassis from which it is supported so that said borderin rim is positioned laterally beyond the vertical planes which encompass the chassis.

The intravenous stand in the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises a bracket made up from a pair of telescoping bars I! and I8 slidably interconnected and which have an embracing clamp action upon the chassis bars I and 2. For this purpose the end of bar I1 is formed with a clamp member 19 and a similar clamp member Na is formed on the end of bar IS. A screw threaded bolt 20 connects the two bars I1 and I8 so as to draw together the clamping members l9 and Na upon the bars I and 2 of the chassis to hold the bracket firmly in fixed position on the chassis. The outer ends of each bar ll and it are also formed respectively with socket members 25 and 22, only the latter being shown in Fig. 1. Each of the socket members 2| and 22 is formed with a non-round socket, such as a hexagonal hole 23, and fitted in said socket against relative turning therein, is a vertical mast or stem 24 which rises upwardly therefrom and extends vertically through a notch 25 formed in the cushion rim I5. It will be understood that notch 25 is deep enough to receive mast 24 entirely inside said cushion rim 1%. The upper end of said mast 24 is provided with an inwardly projecting hook portion 28 which extends over and above the bed frame M and is adapted for the suspension of the jar 21 carrying an intravenous fluid. A suitable cushion clamp 28 holds jar 21' in fixed position relative to the vertical mast 24. The purpose of providin the notch 25 in the cushion rim I5 is so that said mast 24 will be guarded and protected within said cushion l5 of the bed frame and whereby the said mast 24 and suspended jar 2! will not be disturbed in position by being bumped against obstructions during travel of the stretcher.

Another form of bracket for the intravenous stand which is designed to be protected against disturbance during movement of the stretcher is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The bed frame of the stretcher in this view is partially outlined in dotted 3 lines. It is customary in such stretchers to provide a hand hole at each of the four corners of the bed frame whereby the hospital attendant may grasp the stretcher for pushing it and guiding it about. Such hand holes 29 and 30 are indicated in Fig. 4. The bracket herein shown comprises interslidable bars Ila and l8a and is similar to that previously described with respect to the telescoping and clamping action of said bars. Each of said bars is provided respectively with its corresponding clamp member 1% and I90 and an adjusting screw bolt 20a is provided to draw the parts together. In this form, however, each of the bars, such as 18a, is formed with a horizontally extending arm 3| at the end of which is provided a socket member 32 similar to the socket 22, but in this case the socket member 32 is positioned in vertical alignment with the hand hole 30 of the bed frame whereby the vertical mast, such as 24, for suspending the jar of fluid may extend upwardly from said socket member 32 through the hand hole 30 and thus be guarded and protected by the cushioned rim 15a of the bed frame. The other bar Ila is also provided with a similarly shaped horizontal arm 33 and socket member 34 in vertical alignment with hand hole 29 whereby the stem 24 of the stand may be fitted in socket 34 or socket 32 as may be convenient for the patient. It will be understood that the bracket of either of the stands shown in Fig. 1 or in Fig. 4 may be fastened to either end of the chassis of the wheel-borne stretcher and that in consequence thereof the mast '24 may be positioned vertically at any one of the-four corners of the stretcher. It will also be understood that the clamping bracket may be suitablymodified to clamp the horizontal portions of the chassis bars- I and 2 and thus position the mast or vertical stem 24 at various locations between the ends of the chassis. 3

I claim:

In a wheel supported stretcher having a lower chassis with vertical supports and an upper bed frame supported thereon, said bed frame having a peripheral guard rim positioned laterally beyond the vertical'planes which encompass said chassis, means for suspending a jar of intravenous fluid over and above said bed frame comprising a bracket detachably secured to said chassis beneath said bed frame, said bracket having a pair of telescoping bars with clamp portions adjacent their outer ends for engaging vertical supports of said chassis and screw adjusting means at the inner ends of the bars to draw the same together in clamping engagement with said chassis, with theouter end of a bar extending beyond its clamp portion and beingupwardly turned to lie in substantially vertical alignment with the edge of said peripheral guard rim, and a vertical stem rising from said vertically disposed outer bar end and extending within the peripheral guard rim of said bed frame toa point above said bed frame, said stem having at its upper end a hook member projecting inwardly over said bed frame for the suspension of said jar.,

ELIOT R. SCUDDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: I 

